Molded sole shoe construction



Marlho, 1965 D. wERMAN ETAL MOLDED SOLE SHOE CONSTRUCTION Filed July 9, 1962 IN VENTORS DAVID WERMATN MARTIN S. WERMAN ATTORNEY United States Patent C) 3,175,308 MLDED SOLE SHE CNSTRUCTIQN David Werman, Merrick, NX., and Martin S. Wei-man, Norwich, Conn., assignors to A. Wennen d: Sons, luc., New York, NX., a corporation of New York Filed July 9, 1962, Ser. No. 208,550 2 Claims. (Cl. S16-14) This invention relates to shoes and particularly to an improved construction for shoes having an extension edge and to improved methods for fabricating the same.

The stitchdown shoe, which conventionally includes an upper for an outwardly extending dependent edge secured to an outsole with a midsole interposed therebetween, is probably the most widely known of the extension edge type shoes and has generally offered certain manufacturing economies as compared to certain other widely used conventional methods of shoe manufacture. This advantageous economic differential, however, has been diminishing in recent years due largely to the incorporation, in certain of the other widely used conventional methods of shoe manufacture, of various techniques for injection molding outsoles and/ or combinational outsoles and heels directly on a partially lasted upper assemblage to `form a finished shoe.

This invention may be briefly described as an improved essentially monolithic construction for stitchdown or other extension edge types of shoes which includes, in its broad aspects, a molded in place outsole having an integral peripheral edge portion thereof disposed in overlying relation with and mechanically interlinked to said extension edge and methods for fabricating the same.

Among the advantages attendant practice of the subject invention is the provision of an improved, simple, inexpensive and essentially monolithic construction for a fully lasted extension edge type shoe' and the provision of an improved method of manufacture for such type shoes which materials reduces, as compared with conventional practices, both the number of required fabrication steps and required materials therefor allto the end of markedly simplifying and reducing the costs of the manufacturing process.

Other objects and advantages of the subject invention will be pointed out in the following spacilication and claims and will be apparent to those skilled in this art from the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, certain features of both the fabricating method and the improved shoe construction that are presently contemplated by the inventors as being the best mode of carrying out their invention.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE l is a plan View of a partially lasted extension edge shoe;

FIGURE 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of FIG- URE l;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional View, similar to that of FlG- URE 2, but illustrating the component elements of a fully lasted extension edge shoe;

FIGURE 4 is an oblique view of a fully lasted extension edge shoe fabricated in accordance with the principles of this invention.

FIGURE 5 is a schematic fragmentary side elevation on an enlarged scale of the extension edge portion of a shoe fabricated in accordance with the principles of this invention.

For convenience, the herein described invention will be illustrated and described in conjunction with an extension edge shoe of essentially the stitchdown type construction although it should be understood that the principles of this invention will be applicable in Whole or in part to other types of shoes having an extension edge.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIG- ICC URES l and 2 thereof, there is illustrated a partially lasted shoe which includes a prefabricated upper subassernbly blank, generally designated 10, disposed in close fitting engagement about a suitable form or last I2 and having an outwardly extending or turned out dependent peripheral edge 14. A midsole 16 is disposed across the base of the last l2 having its peripheral edge portion disposed in abutting relation with the undersurface of the peripheral edge 14 and secured thereto as by threads 18 or interposed adhesive. As illustrated, the upper surface of the midsole 16 may be provided with a cushioned insole 2@ or, alternatively, the midsole 16 may be so constituted as to permit the upper surface thereof disposed in engagement with the underside of the last l2 to serve as the insole for the shoe.

Such upper subassembly blank, herein generally designated ld, mayrinclude an upper blank formed of leather or other suitable material such as a vinyl plastic, and, not shown in the drawings, a vamp lining portion, usually cloth, toe and heel counters and a heel lining portion of soft leather or other suitable material with one or more of such elements having an outwardly turned dependent edge disposed intermediate the edge ld and the abutting surface of the midsole lo. The illustrated peripheral edge ld may thus be formed of the dependent edge of the upper blank and the midsole alone or may also be of a composite nature including the outwardly turned dependent edges of one or more of the other components includable in the upper subassembly blank lil as enumerated above. Such turned'out edge ld, whether formed of the dependent edge of the upper blank alone or compositely constituted as described above, is when combined with the abutting portion of the midsole la, conveniently designatable as an extension edge for the purposes of this invention.

In the practice of the herein described method, the eX- tension edge is provided with means to effect a mechanical interlocking interlinkage with injection molded sole material. Conveniently such mechanical interlocking interlinkage can be obtained by providing said extension edge with a plurality of apertures 22 extending completely therethrough and which may be conveniently punched out therefrom. These apertures 22 may be of the illustrated square configuration or may be circular or other desired coniguration. Other convenient Ways of effecting such mechanical interlocking interlinkage may as illustrated in FIGURE 5 by way of example include the provision of upwardly extending open loops la of the lasting thread i3, the addition of staples i312 or auxiliary thread loops extending from the upper surface of the extension edge or the addition of cords or other means in overlying relation on the upwardly disposed surface of the extension edge with respect to which the injection molded sole material may be disposed in surrounding or substantially surrounding relationship.

The partially lasted shoe including the perforated ex- Itension edge or other means for effecting the desired mechanical interlocking interlinkage and as above constituted, may then be introduced into a suitably shaped sole mold, as generally indicated by the dotted lines 24, to permit the in-place molding of an integral plastic composite sole and heel thereon, as generally designated 2d in FIGURE 4. As illustrated in FIGURE 3, such mold will be shaped to provide a base sole portion 2S of predetermined thickness for desired wearing qualities having an integral vertically disposed peripheral edge portion 3i) that peripherally encloses the outwardly facing edge portion of said extension edge and an integral inwardly extending shoulder portion 32 disposed in overlying relationship with the upper surface of the extension edge. Additionally, such molding material will ilow into and will ll the perforations 22 and provide a multiplicity of interlocking linking segments 34 integrally connecting edt/ases el the overlying shoulder portion 32 with the base sole portion 28 and interlocking said injection molded sole with the heretofore partially lasted shoe.

ln the practice of the herein described method it is desirable to effect a secure bond intermediate the interface between the molded in place composite sole 2d and the abutting undersurface of the midsole ld. Such a bond is preferably effected by utilizing a midsole 16 of material that is bondably compatable with the plastic material utilized for the injection molded sole. For eX- ample, if a vinyl plastic is utilized for the sole 2d, a vinyl midsole of suitable character will inherently result in an integral bond interrndeate the midsole 16 and the molded sole 26 in the molding operation that extends continuously over the entire undersurface of 4the midsole 16. Alternatively, if bondably incompatable material is utilined for the midsole, the undersurface thereof should preferably be preconditioned and provided with a surface coating of bondably compatable material prior to the molding operation.

By employment of the above series of operations, a finished shoe of both improved and greatly simplified construction results frorn the method herein disclosed. Apart from its essentially monolithic character, such shoe possesses the flexibility of the conventionally injection molded sole and in addition provides for minimal stock transmission due to the presence of the midsole. Additionally, the joint between the upper and sole is disposed remote from the Wear surfaces and the overlaying of the extension edge results in a virtually waterproof assembly. The subject construction also results in a markedly improved edge appearance, always a deficiency in the stitchdown construction, due both to the enclosure of the eX- tension edge and also to the readily permitted design contouriug of the welt-like portions of the molded sole. The manufacturing economies and essentially simple nature of .the fabrication method herein disclosed will also be readily apparent to those skilled in this art. In addition to permitting the advantageous retention of certain of the inherent manufacturing economies attendant the stitchdown method of fabrication, the subject method avoids many of the problems faced in conventional injection molding operations such as the avoidance of roughing operations and the criticality of materials and compatablity thereof. insofar as the stitchdown method of manufacture is concerned, the herein disclosed method results in the elimination of a multiplicity of conventional fabricating steps, specifically including the normally employed steps of sole laying, Goodyear stitching, pressing of the Welt joints, heel attachment, shaving of heel extension, forepart and shank trimming, heel scouring, inkd ing and finishing edges and sole Washing and replaces such operations by the two operations of perforating the extension edge and injection molding of the outsole. Such method also results in the elimination of appreciable quantities of conventionally employed materials, such as sole adhesives, outsoles, heel attaching nails, stitching thread, welt strips, cutters, abrasives and ink, and, in lieu thereof requires only the amount of injection molding material required to form the outsole and heel.

Having thus described our invention, We claim: l. A shoe construction comprising an upper subassembly having an outwardly extending dependent edge means dening a plurality of discrete independent apertures disposed inwardly of the periphery of said eX- tending dependent edge of said upper subassembly and an integral molded outsole having a peripheral edge portion thereof disposed in overlying relation with said extending dependent edge of said upper subassembly and lling said apertures to integrally interconnect the overlying peripheral edge portion of said outsole to the remainder .thereof and to said upper subassembly whereby said outsole is disposed in mechanically interlocked relation with said shoe upper. 2. The shoe construction as set forth in claim l wherein said upper subassembly includes an upper blank having an outwardly extending dependent peripheral edge and a midsole member peripherally disposed in interfacial abutting relation with the undersurface of said peripheral edge of said upper blank and secured thereto and wherein 

1. A SHOE CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING AN UPPER SUBASSEMBLY HAVING AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING DEPENDENT EDGE MEANS DEFINING A PLURALITY OF DISCRETE INDEPENDENT APERTURES DISPOSED INWARDLY OF THE PERIPHERY OF SAID EXTENDING DEPENDENT EDGE OF SAID UPPER SUBASSEMBLY AND AN INTEGRAL MOLDED OUTSOLE HAVING A PERIPHERAL EDGE PORTION THEREOF DISPOSED IN OVERLYING RELATION WITH SAID EXTENDING DEPENDENT EDGE OF SAID UPPER SUBASSEMBLY AND FILLING SAID APERTURES TO INTEGRALLY INTERCONNECT THE OVERLYING PERIPHERAL EDGE PORTION OF SAID OUTSOLE TO THE REMAINDER THEREOF AND TO SAID UPPER SUBASSEMBLY WHEREBY SAID OUTSOLE IS DISPOSED IN MECHANICALLY INTERLOCKED RELATION WITH SAID SHOE UPPER. 